RaveOregonian[A] stunning, gut-wrenching, magical realist debut novel ... Lund’s novel bursts through our 2022 malaise with a new, and necessary kind of storytelling, one that gives a roadmap for moving through trauma to a place of healing ... Some of the beats of the coming-of-age novel are familiar here, especially its depictions of queer pain and suffering at the hands of bullies, of young gay heartbreak, of yearning for connection and safety. But the novel’s magical realist elements provide a constant state of suspense, sharing with us a world full of wonder, surprise, and, yes, queer joy ... The novel is full of delightful teenage detours through punk rock, moon magic, even body-enlivening masturbation. There is crushing pain and liberating beauty. There is reverence and irreverence all swirling in the same soup ... Lund’s novel dares to imagine what it means to experience or witness such traumas, while still seeking joy and systems of healing.
